Dean hacked at the underbrush blocking his way and cleared a path before him. He paused for a moment, sheathing his machete and wiping the sweat from his brow. He grinned as he turned back the way he came and adjusted the explorer's hat on his head. He was waiting for his explorer's assistant, Castiel to hurry his butt up so they can get on with their adventuring!
"Cas, what's taking so dang long!" Dean called impatiently, crawling through the overgrown foliage of a neighbor's back yard. When no response is heard, Dean huffed in an exaggerated manner and turns around, heading back the way he had came. He hadn't realized Castiel wasn't behind him until just a few moments ago.
Castiel found himself in a rather dire situation, his adventurer's coat having been caught underneath a large boulder. Not only that but suddenly, a low hissing sound filled Castiel's ears. He scrambled to free himself, to no avail. He could hear Dean returning his way but didn't call out, what if he alerted the monster to his position?
Dean came around one of the last turns, finding Castiel whimpering softly as one of the local cats hissed at him.
"Hey!" Dean shouted with a clap of his hands, startling the cat and sending it on it's way with an irritated yowl. Dean ' hmph'd ' proudly with a cross of his arms and nod of his head. He looked down at Castiel, who still hadn't moved from his place on the ground.
"What's the deal, Cas? Let's get going!" Dean urged impatiently, already turning to go again.
"W-wait!" Cas called in a small voice. "I-I'm... Stuck!"
Dean quickly turned back around, a frown creased is childish face as he approached his best friend. Upon this closer inspection, Dean discovered that Castiel was caught in a bramble bush. More specifically, Castiel's coat was caught in a bramble bush.
"Oh is that all?" Dean said with a reassuring smile down at his best friend. "I'll have you out of there in a jiffy!"
Castiel released a shaky breath as he put his head down, feeling Dean's hands grasp at the end of his coat. He had a really bad feeling about this, but it wasn't like he had an alternative.
"Just, be care-!" Castiel started to warn Dean, only to be interrupted by a sudden ripping sound. His words melted into a sound that get caught in his throat. Eyes screwed up tight, Castiel shakes his head over and over.
"Ooooh..." Dean murmured, looking down at Castiel's now tattered coat. He felt utterly terrible, that coat meant everything to his best friend. It was something like a security blanket for the young fledgling. "Cas... I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean to!" He said quickly, rushing around to where Castiel was shaking his head continuously.
Castiel finally lifted his head, eyes still shut, he wasn't ready to open them yet, to see the damage. He opened them slowly and released a shaking breath as he turned to look at the rip in his coat. His entire body shuddered and he felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn't speak, resolving instead to simply shake his head again, feeling completely exposed.
"Hey, hey, it's not so bad. We can get it fixed. Maybe Gabriel can mojo it?" Dean spoke quickly as he dropped into a crouch in front of the quickly panicking fledgling. "Okay?" He pushed, hoping for a response.
Castiel finally looked up at Dean and nodded slowly in response to his prodding. Dean could see the way Castiel was trembling and totally on the edge of panic and decided he needed to calm the young angel down. Without much thought, Dean turned around and then glanced back over his shoulder.
"Climb on."
Castiel blinked like a small frightened owlet before he shakily climbed onto Dean's back and curled his frail arms around his neck. His small black wings flared out on either side on instinct, but otherwise remained still as Dean carried his best friend out of the tall grass. Castiel found himself feeling calmer by the second. He blushed deeply and buried his face against the back of Dean's neck.
"Thank you." Castiel whispered softly, feeling safe, protected, and loved.
Dean just smiled, cheeks dusted pink in the light of the Lawrence afternoon sun.